It has been a challenging time for us all (COVID-19), we are certainly a long way from getting back to normal, whatever the new “normal” might mean. We hope that all our customers and friends are staying safe and well. We want to pass on our thoughts and sympathies to all those people who have been affected by this outbreak. This is a very difficult time for everyone.

At Everything Dinosaur, we know how important it is to keep spirits up. So, we are offering our customers and friends a chance to win one of three, unique signed dinosaur books!

It’s our way of saying thank you to our customers, newsletter subscribers, followers and social media fans.

Running a Special Competition to Help our Customers, Friends, Subscribers, Followers and Supporters

Everything Dinosaur runs a special competition for its newsletter subscribers and Facebook fans.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Thank You from Everything Dinosaur

We have three signed copies of the brilliant “Dinosaurs how they lived and evolved” by Darren Naish and Paul M. Barrett to give away in our free to enter contest. Simply visit Everything Dinosaur on Facebook, “like our page” and leave a comment suggesting a name for the dinosaur featured on the front cover of this exciting new book.

Win A Signed Copy of “Dinosaurs how they lived and evolved”

Win a signed copy of “Dinosaurs how they lived and evolved” by Darren Naish and Paul M. Barrett.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The competition closes at midnight (BST) on Sunday June 14th. We wish everyone the very best of luck in Everything Dinosaur’s special competition.

The competition is free to enter and open to all. As a special thank you to Everything Dinosaur’s newsletter subscribers, a special e-news bulletin was sent out informing them of the book contest and inviting them to take part. After all, it is not very often that you get the chance to win an autographed book about dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Book Contest – Win a Signed Copy

Win a signed copy of “Dinosaurs how they lived and evolved” by Darren Naish and Paul M. Barrett courtesy of Everything Dinosaur.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Signed by Darren Naish

Co-author Darren Naish has produced a special dinosaur drawing inside the front cover of each of the three books, making each copy truly unique.

A Truly Unique Dinosaur Book

Win a signed copy of “Dinosaurs how they lived and evolved” by Darren Naish and Paul Barrett.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

To enter, just visit Everything Dinosaur on Facebook, find the competition posting (at the top of the page for the duration of the contest), “like” our page and then provide a name for the Tianyulong dinosaur that is featured on the book’s front cover. Remember, you have until midnight (BST) 14th June 2020 to enter!

For this week’s “Turntable Tuesday” YouTube video feature, Everything Dinosaur selected one of the new for 2020 Mojo Fun dinosaur models to go for a spin. It was a difficult choice as Mojo Fun has added a whopping sixteen new dinosaurs to their “Prehistoric Life” range, but in the end it was the Brontosaurus deluxe that was chosen, when compared to the new Mamenchisaurus and Brachiosaurus, you could say that Brontosaurus won by a short neck!

Going for a Spin the Mojo Fun Brontosaurus Deluxe Features on “Turntable Tuesday”

Video Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur and “Turntable Tuesday”

The “Turntable Tuesday” video is a weekly feature on the Everything Dinosaur YouTube channel. A prehistoric animal model is filmed at our bespoke studio on a turntable. This permits dinosaur fans and model collectors to get a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the replica. The objective of these short videos, all of which have to last for no more than two minutes or so, is to showcase the figure. These videos also give Everything Dinosaur the opportunity to comment on the prehistoric animal models and provide further information.

Ready for the Turntable The New for 2020 Mojo Fun Brontosaurus Deluxe Dinosaur Model

The Mojo Fun Brontosaurus deluxe dinosaur model ready for a spin.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Brontosaurus excelsus

The model measures around twenty-two centimetres in length, but in reality the figure is much larger as the neck is turned slightly and the tail is twisted as if this sauropod was about to give an attacking theropod dinosaur a swipe. The fact sheet that accompanies sales of this figure provides more information on the type species for this genus – Brontosaurus excelsus. The colour scheme is muted with greys and tans predominating. There are plenty of details to admire on the skin, especially the texture of the neck and the folds located underneath the sturdy body. It may not be the most accurate representation of “thunder lizard” made but the model is robust and ideal for imaginative, creative play.

The Brontosaurus is one of three long-necked dinosaur models introduced by Mojo Fun this year, the other two being Mamenchisaurus and a new Brachiosaurus.

All sixteen of the new for 2020 Mojo Fun dinosaurs models are now in stock at Everything Dinosaur. The models had been delayed due to COVID-19 but all of these exciting new figures are now at Everything Dinosaur’s warehouse. These new replicas represent a substantial extension to the Mojo Fun prehistoric and extinct model range.

Sixteen New for 2020 Mojo Fun Dinosaur Models are in Stock at Everything Dinosaur

You have to hand it to Mojo Fun, sixteen new dinosaur models for 2020.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The new models are crouching and standing Velociraptors, Allosaurus with an articulated jaw, a deluxe Baryonyx, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and Ankylosaurus. The Sauropodomorpha is represented by Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus and Mamenchisaurus, there is a second Baryonyx, one with an articulated jaw. A hadrosaurid Mandschurosaurus is also new for 2020 and along with the Troodon figure, it represents a genus which could be regarded as nomen dubium. Essentially, this means that there is some doubt as to the validity of the genera, after all, in the case of Troodon, this genus was erected based on an isolated fossil tooth from Montana (Judith River Formation).

Mojo Fun New for 2020 Spinosaurus Dinosaur Model

The Mojo Fun Spinosaurus deluxe model with an articulated lower jaw.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Amongst the theropod dinosaur models there is a Giganotosaurus, Spinosaurus and of course an obligatory Tyrannosaurus rex.

Designed for Robust, Imaginative Play

The Mojo Fun “Prehistoric Life” range now contains forty-three models. The addition of sixteen new figures represents a major investment in dinosaurs by the company and the number of new introductions is much larger than in previous years. Many of the individual figures are much bigger than their predecessors. For example, the new for 2020 Mojo Fun Tyrannosaurus rex with an articulated jaw is approximately six centimetres longer than the Mojo Fun red hunting T. rex dinosaur model.

Mojo Fun Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Models

Mojo Fun dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. The new for 2020 Mojo Fun Tyrannosaurus rex deluxe with an articulated jaw can be seen on the left of this picture. A Spinosaurus (right) and the troodontid (far right) along with three Mojo Fun Tropeognathus pterosaur figures soaring overhead complete the scene.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Mojo Fun Prehistoric Life

The new for 2020 prehistoric animal figures represent a substantial development of this line of figures. In previous years, only a handful of new models have been added, but these figures along with the company’s plans for more replicas signal that Mojo Fun is going to have some exciting times ahead.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We hope that you enjoy the new for 2020 collection from Mojo Fun. These figures have been designed for robust, creative play and a number of figures have articulated jaws, which always enhances play value. It is a pleasant surprise to see some of the less well-known dinosaurs such as Mamenchisaurus, Mandschurosaurus and a troodontid represented in these recent additions to the Mojo Fun prehistoric and extinct model range.”

Everything Dinosaur team members are currently putting together a short video review of the new Wild Past Protoceratops (P. andrewsi) dinosaur model. Our intention in the video is to discuss the model and also to talk about the genus upon which the figure is based. After all, Protoceratops is one of the most studied of all the dinosaur genera known to science. However, “first horned face” can still throw up a few surprises. For example, the size of its orbit (eye socket), suggests the Protoceratops had disproportionately large eyes compared to other ceratopsians. Could Protoceratops have been nocturnal?

Size Comparison (Protoceratops andrewsi)

Protoceratops andrewsi was a relatively small dinosaur but it was one of the larger vertebrates associated with the Bayn Dzak (Flaming Cliffs) locality. Could it have been nocturnal?

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Protoceratops was a Tough Dinosaur!

Intriguingly, when the dinosaur fossil specimens collected by the Central Asiatic Expeditions from 1922-1925 (the expeditions led by Roy Chapman Andrews and Walter Granger of the American Museum of Natural History), from the Flaming Cliffs locality are totted up, over 90 percent of them represent Protoceratops andrewsi. The Flaming Cliffs are the type locality for the Djadokhta Formation. Something like 108 individual dinosaur specimens were collected by the American Museum of Natural History field teams between 1922 and 1925, all but seven of them represented Protoceratops andrewsi. Preservational bias has been largely ruled out, it is therefore likely that Protoceratops was common in this habitat. However, both the Djadokhta Formation and the potentially contemporaneous Bayan Mandahu Formation, where the fossils of the second Protoceratops genus were found (P. hellenikorhinus), represent arid, desert-like palaeoenvironments.

Both Protoceratops species lived in extremely harsh conditions, an idea supported by the lack of diversity and the absence of large animals from the fossil record of both Djadokhta and Bayan Mandahu.

A Lack of Diversity and Few Large-bodied Dinosaurs Associated with Bayn Dzak (Flaming Cliffs Type Locality) of the Djadokhta Formation

The biota associated with the Protoceratops dominated Djadokhta Formation. Evidence that Protoceratops lived in a stressed environment with few resources. We have used a picture of the Wild Past Protoceratops dinosaur model to indicate the presence of Protoceratops.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Comparing the Djadokhta Formation and the Nemegt Formation Dinosaur Biotas

The lack of large-bodied dinosaurs and the limited number of different types of dinosaur are highlighted when these geological formations are compared to the Nemegt Formation dinosaur biota. The strata that forms the Nemegt Formation was formed in a much wetter more verdant environment.

The dinosaur biota associated with the Nemegt Formation. Many different dinosaurs are reported from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation. The presence of large herbivores such as therizinosaurs, titanosaurs and duck-billed dinosaurs is significant.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The lack of diversity and the absence of large-bodied vertebrates from the Bayn Dzak location indicates that Protoceratops inhabited a stressed environment. Protoceratopsid fauna is associated with sediments from semi-arid, to desert regions formed from aeolian deposits in the main. During the time that the Djadokhta and the Bayan Mandahu Formations were being formed, much of central Asia was characterised by an extensive sandy desert with little surface water.

Protoceratops may have been quite small, but it was a very tough and hardy dinosaur.

Everything Dinosaur is offering to give away three very special signed copies of “Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” by Darren Naish and Paul M. Barrett, a fantastic book published by the Natural History Museum of London in our free to enter competition.

Win a Fantastic Dinosaur Book with Everything Dinosaur

Suggest a name for Tianyulong on the front cover to enter Everything Dinosaur’s competition.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

We have three of these marvellous books to give away and each one contains a unique, signed drawing by Darren Naish.

Each Book Contains a Unique, Signed Drawing by Darren Naish

Each book in the Everything Dinosaur competition contains a unique signed drawing.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

All you have to do is “Like” Everything Dinosaur’s FACEBOOK page, then comment on the “Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” picture, providing a suggested name for the Tianyulong dinosaur featured on the front cover.

We will draw the lucky winners at random and the “Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” competition closes on midnight Sunday 14th June. Good luck, we hope you win one of these unique dinosaur books.

Terms and Conditions of the “Everything Dinosaur Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” Book Competition

Automated entries are not permitted and will be excluded from the draw.

Only one entry per person.

The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered.

The “Everything Dinosaur Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” competition runs until midnight Sunday 14th June 2020.

Winner will be notified by private message on Facebook.

Prize includes postage and packing.

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges a complete release of Facebook by each entrant/participant.

Lots of amazing photographs of dinosaur fossils and detailed, informative text in this new dinosaur book entitled “Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” by Darren Naish and Paul M. Barrett.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

To enter Everything Dinosaur’s book competition, all you have to do is “Like” Everything Dinosaur’s FACEBOOK page, then comment on the “Dinosaurs – how they lived and evolved” picture, providing a suggested name for the Tianyulong dinosaur featured on the front cover.

The illustration of the bizarre Jurassic heterodontosaurid Tianyulong confuciusi that features on the front cover was created by the very talented palaeoartist Bob Nicholls.

A single, fragmentary jawbone from the upper jaw of a pterosaur found on the Isle of Wight has demonstrated just how diverse and widespread the Tapejaridae family of pterosaurs were. The fossil bone, a partial premaxilla from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of Yaverland (Isle of Wight), represents a new species, the first record of a tapejarid pterosaur from the Wessex Formation and one of the oldest examples of this pterosaur family to have been found outside of China. The flying reptile has been named Wightia declivirostris.

A Life Reconstruction of Wightia declivirostris (Wessex Formation)

A life reconstruction of the newly described tapejarid from the Lower Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight (Wightia declivirostris).

Picture Credit: Megan Jacobs (University of Portsmouth)

Terrific Toothless Tapejarids

The terrific toothless tapejarids with their reputation for taking head crest development to the extreme, are known from relatively abundant fossil material associated with the Santana and Crato Formations of Brazil. In addition, several members of the Tapejaridae family are associated with the Jiufotang Formation of China. However, fragmentary fossils are known from elsewhere in the world such as Spain (Europejara olcadesorum) and a toothless, rather deep lower jaw tip along with other partial bones from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco suggests that these types of flying reptile may have persisted into the early Late Cretaceous.

Two of the authors associated with this scientific paper, Professor David Martill and Roy Smith (both from the University of Portsmouth), recently published a report on the discovery of a north African tapejarid which was named Afrotapejara zouhrii, one of a spate of recent Moroccan pterosaur discoveries. To read Everything Dinosaur’s article about this: That Fourth Moroccan Pterosaur. It seems that these fancy-crested, edentulous flying reptiles were much more geographically and temporally diverse than previously thought.

A Typical Illustration of a Tapejarid Pterosaur (Tupandactylus imperator)

A scale drawing of the tapejarid Pterosaur Tupandactylus imperator. The Tapejaridae are thought to have all sported flamboyant head crests.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Isle of Wight Pterosaur is More Closely Related to Chinese Tapejarids

Amateur fossil hunter John Winch discovered a pterosaur snout near the cliff at Yaverland Point in Sandown Bay, in a fossil plant debris layer. The unusual shape and thin bone walls suggested that it was from a pterosaur. The fragment of jaw, although eroded, demonstrates the characteristic downturned tip, with numerous tiny holes (foramina), on the occulsal surface which indicate the presence of minute sensory organs for detecting food.

The Holotype Material Wightia declivirostris

The isolated, partial premaxilla of Wightia declivirostris.

Picture Credit: University of Portsmouth

The jaw fragment was passed to palaeontology student at Portsmouth University, Megan Jacobs, who confirmed it was a rare find and definitely pterosaurian. Analysis of the specimen suggests that Wightia is more closely related to the older and more primitive tapejarid Sinopterus from Liaoning (Jiufotang Formation), than it is to Brazilian tapejarids. The genus name of this newly described flying reptile honours the Isle of Wight, whilst the species (trivial) name means “slanting beak”, a reference to the typically tapejarid morphology of the partial premaxilla.

Both the Wealden Formation and the geologically younger Vectis Formation on the Isle of Wight have yielded pterosaur specimens, although they tend to consist of highly fragmentary remains. The discovery of Wightia declivirostris demonstrates how significant the Lower Cretaceous Isle of Wight sediments are to palaeontologists as they try to plot the radiation of different types of flying reptile during the Early Cretaceous.

The scientific paper: “First tapejarid pterosaur from the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group: Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the United Kingdom” by David M. Martill, Mick Green, Roy E. Smith, Megan L. Jacobs and John Winch published in the journal Cretaceous Research.

In this week’s “Turntable Tuesday” video, it was the turn of the recently introduced Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus model to go for a spin. This figure is one of nine new for 2020 prehistoric animal replicas from Safari Ltd, it was the only marine reptile amongst the company’s new releases, but what a splendid model it is. In our short video, we provide fans of prehistoric animal models with a three-hundred and sixty degree view of this replica.

“Turntable Tuesday” It’s the Turn of Ichthyosaurus

Video Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus Model

The Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus sports a colouration that resembles the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca). Several species of Ichthyosaurus are now recognised, this taxon having been something of a taxonomic waste basket for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Ichthyosaurus was much smaller than an extant Killer Whale, with the largest individuals less than 3.5 metres long and some species such as Ichthyosaurus communis, which was the named and scientifically described in 1822, being smaller still, with most specimens from the Dorset coast for example, averaging 2 metres in length.

The Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus Model

The Ichthyosaurus model (Wild Safari Prehistoric World) ready to take its turn on the Everything Dinosaur turntable.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Wonderful and Detailed Marine Reptile Model

The 2020 Ichthyosaurus replaces the 2010 Ichthyosaurus from Safari Ltd. In the “Turntable Tuesday” video the beautiful detailing around the eyes is highlighted along with the model’s colouration. A segment of the video is dedicated to showing the underside of the figure. The cloaca (vent) is highlighted, demonstrating how the sculptors at Safari Ltd have gone to great lengths to ensure an accurate interpretation of a marine reptile.

The Video Shows the Underside and Highlights the Presence of a Cloaca on the Ichthyosaur Model

The Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus model. The red arrow highlights the location of the cloaca (vent).

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus Replica

Comparing the 2010 Ichthyosaurus model with the 2020 Ichthyosaurus. The 2010 Ichthyosaurus figure was depicted holding an ammonite in its jaws. Palaeontologists believe that the principle constituents of the diet of Ichthyosaurus were small fish and squid.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Measuring around nineteen centimetres in length, the new for 2020 Ichthyosaurus replica makes a fine addition to a prehistoric animal model collection.

A Close View of the Head of the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus Replica

A close-up view of the head of the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Ichthyosaurus model.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The “Turntable Tuesday” video showcasing the remarkable Ichthyosaurus model can be found on Everything Dinosaur’s YouTube channel: Everything Dinosaur on YouTube.

Two new PNSO dinosaur models are coming into stock at Everything Dinosaur! Aaron the baby Tyrannosaurus rex figure along with A-Qi the young Sinoceratops will be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in just a few weeks. These two beautiful figures are just the latest in a long line of exciting prehistoric animal replicas to be produced by PNSO.

Aaron the Baby Tyrannosaurus rex Coming to Everything Dinosaur

Aaron the baby Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur model (PNSO).

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

A-Qi the Young Sinoceratops Dinosaur Model

A-Qi the baby Sinoceratops model (PNSO).

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson for the UK-based company stated:

“Everything Dinosaur team members are really looking forward to the arrival of these two very cute and beautifully sculpted dinosaur figures. Both models have been carefully created based on ontogenic studies of baby dinosaurs and Aaron the young T. rex figure will sport a coat of “dino fuzz”, that would not only have served to keep this baby dinosaur warm, but also offered it some camouflage, just in case a dromaeosaurid or some other predator decided that baby dinosaurs were on the menu.”

Lots of PNSO Figures Coming into Stock at Everything Dinosaur

As well as these two new exciting replicas, the shipment will contain a lot of other PNSO prehistoric animal replicas, helping to replenish Everything Dinosaur’s stock of Patton the Megalodon, Duke the Spinops, Paulwin the Dakosaurus, Essien the Spinosaurus, Nick the Ceratosaurus and Lucas the Giganotosaurus. In total, seventeen different product lines will be re-stocked.

Lots of PNSO Figures Coming to Everything Dinosaur

Lots of PNSO figures and replicas coming back into stock at Everything Dinosaur.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The PNSO prehistoric animals are due to be shipped from the factory this week (end May 2020). If all goes to plan, these exciting prehistoric animal figures and replicas including Aaron the young Tyrannosaurus rex and A-Qi the cute, baby Sinoceratops will be in stock on-line at the company’s website in July.

The Young Sinoceratops Coming into Stock at Everything Dinosaur

A-Qi the baby Sinoceratops model (PNSO).

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Aaron the Young T. rex Complete with a Coat of “Dino Fuzz”

Aaron the baby Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur model (PNSO). Both PNSO baby dinosaur replicas exhibit characteristics associated with young animals, such as the proportionately large eyes and in the case of Aaron the T. rex, large feet, indicative of distal growth.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

If you want to enquire about the two new PNSO baby dinosaurs, ask about reserving a figure or to request further information on any of the PNSO prehistoric animals, simply: Email Everything Dinosaur.

A team of scientists have produced a study mapping an astonishing dinosaur bonebed that has so far yielded a staggering total of 13,000 individual fossil elements. In truth, the bonebed contains many more fossils, but individual dinosaur teeth, ossified tendons and other fragmentary elements under five centimetres in length have not been counted. The site is located in eastern Wyoming and consists almost entirely of the preserved remains of a single type of dinosaur, a hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus annectens). The bonebed study has not only provided a great deal of information about this duck-billed dinosaur but shed light on how death assemblages consisting of a large number of corpses are formed and how various bones of differing sizes might be transported before final deposition.

Dinosaur Bonebeds such as the Danek Edmontosaurus regalis Bonebed in Edmonton Have Yielded Thousands of Fossil Bones

The Danek Edmontosaurus bonebed is typical of an Edmontosaurus-dominated bonebed which are widespread in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) of western North America).

Picture Credit: Victoria Arbour

The Hanson Ranch Bonebed (Lance Formation)

Writing in the on-line, open access journal PLOS One, the scientists which include Keith Synder of the Biology Dept. of the Southern Adventist University, Tennessee, document the taphonomy and depositional history of an extensive E. annectens bonebed known as Hanson Ranch, in the Lance Formation of eastern Wyoming. The bonebed includes five main quarries and three exploratory quarries. Approximately 13,000 elements including around 8,400 identifiable bones, have been recovered in 506 square metres of excavated area in twenty years (1996-2016).

Virtually all the fossils are located within a fine-grained (claystone to siltstone) bed that has a maximum depth of two metres.

Mapping the Stratigraphy of the Main Bonebeds at the Hanson Research Station (Wyoming)

Local stratigraphy associated with the main bonebeds at the Hanson Research station. The green arrow indicates position of main bonebed.

Almost all the fossils recovered from the site exhibit exquisite preservation with little or no abrasion, breakages or signs of weathering prior to deposition. All the material is disarticulated and scattered although over a relatively confined area. This evidence in conjunction with analysis of the sediments associated with the fossils indicates that the bones were moved and buried after a period of initial decay and decomposition of the Edmontosaurus carcasses.

The thousands of fossil bones represent mainly adult or sub-adult specimens. Due to the huge number of fossils associated with the Hanson Research site, the scientists have been able to gain a deeper understanding of Edmontosaurus biostratigraphy including how elements from the skeleton can be transported over distances prior to deposition. The most abundant fossil bones are ischia, pubes, scapulae, ribs and limb bones. In contrast, vertebrae, ilia and chevrons are rare.

When it comes to cranial material lower jaw bones (dentaries), nasals, quadrates and jugals are prevalent whilst premaxillae (upper jaw bones), predentaries and bones associated with the braincase are seldom found. The researchers suggest that following decay and break-up of the carcase, water action sorted and removed the articulated sections such as the backbone and the smaller bones such as the digits and toes, before, or at the same time, the remaining material was swept up in a subaqueous debris flow that created the final deposit.

The scientists suggest that similar processes may have been at work that created the other hadrosaurid-dominated Upper Cretaceous bonebeds associated with such geological formations as Hell Creek, Two Medicine, Horseshoe Canyon, Prince Creek as well as the Lance Formations of western North America. It is noted that there is a remarkably similar skeletal composition among the fossil bonebeds studied. It is also noted that there is a significant correlation between the hadrosaurid bonebeds and fluvial assemblages representing thanatocoenosis* events seen with modern-day vertebrate death assemblages.

Thanatocoenosis* Explained

Thanatocoenosis refers to a site where a collection of fossils representing a variety of organisms are found together. Such sites are often referred to as death assemblages. The organisms represented at the location may not have been associated in life, but their remains have been transported and deposited together thus forming a fossil bed composed of an extensive amount of fossilised material.

Not All of the Dinosaur Fossils are Edmontosaurus

The bonebed can be described as monodominant as the vast majority of the fossil material found can be assigned to just one species Edmontosaurus annectens. Non-dinosaurian terrestrial taxa identified include mammals and squamates along with the remains of many aquatic creatures such as crocodiles, turtles, gar and other fishes and numerous molluscs. Some other types of plant-eating dinosaur are represented notably, ceratopsids, pachycephalosaurs, nodosaurs and members of the family Thescelosauridae. Numerous shed theropod teeth are also associated with this location. Everything Dinosaur will post up a separate article detailing one rather special theropod fossil associated with a quarry close to the Hanson Research station in the near future.

A Life Reconstruction of the Hadrosaurid Edmontosaurus

The new for 2020 Wild Safari Prehistoric World Edmontosaurus dinosaur model.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The scientific paper: “Over 13,000 elements from a single bonebed help elucidate disarticulation and transport of an Edmontosaurus thanatocoenosis” by Keith Snyder, Matthew McLain, Jared Wood and Arthur Chadwick published in PLOS One.

A team of international scientists led by Dr Fernando Novas of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales (Buenos Aires, Argentina), have been exploring the Upper Cretaceous, fossil rich beds at Estancia La Anita in the Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia. In a media release, circulated this week, the researchers from the Museo de Ciencias Naturales report the discovery of the fossilised remains of a giant megaraptorid dinosaur. At an estimated ten metres in length, it potentially represents the largest confirmed member of the Megaraptora clade discovered to date.

A Field Team Member Carefully Removing Overburden Close to a Fossil Bone

A field team member works close to a fossil bone.

Picture Credit: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Upper Cretaceous Sediments

The research team, which includes scientists from a number of Argentinian universities as well as colleagues from the National Museum of Tokyo (Japan), have spent much of the early part of the southern hemisphere autumn, working in the remote and mountainous Estancia La Anita which is some 1,750 miles (2,800 km), south of Buenos Aires. Many different vertebrate fossils were found, including those of the basal iguanodontid Isasicursor. The palaeontologists speculate that rather than attack the titanosaurs that lived in this region during the Late Cretaceous, megaraptors may have specialised in catching smaller, more agile prey such as the five-metre-long Isasicursor.

Members of the Megaraptora were quite lightly-built, long-armed carnivores. Very little is known about these dinosaurs, although they do seem to have been both geographically and temporally widely dispersed. They were not closely related to the dromaeosaurids, a family of dinosaurs that includes the “raptors” such as Velociraptor.

A Speculative Life Reconstruction of the Giant Megaraptor from Argentina

A speculative life reconstruction of the giant megaraptor from Patagonia.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Elements from the rib cage and vertebrae have been found, but sadly no skull material has been reported. It is likely that a new genus will be erected as a result of these discoveries, the scientific paper is likely to be published next year.

The Field Team’s Campsite at the Remote Location

The remote campsite at Estancia La Anita in Patagonia.

Picture Credit: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

One of the Last of its Kind

The fossils represent the youngest material discovered to date that have been assigned to the Megaraptora. It is therefore quite likely that these types of theropod persisted until the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. Fernando Novas has been instrumental in the development of our understanding of this type of carnivorous dinosaur. It was Dr Novas who co-authored the review of theropod dinosaurs from Argentina in 2013, that led to the establishment of the Megaraptor clade.